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Would You Allow A Boy – Girl Sleepover?

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I recently read an article in the newspaper where a parent wrote in and asked for advice. The parent said that her 16-year old daughter asked if she could have a boy sleep over at her home. The parent refused to allow the boy to sleep over and offered instead to pick him up and take him back home so that the two could spend some time together. The daughter replied that all of her friends are having boys sleep over, some of them even in their rooms. The parent wanted to know if she was the one “out of touch with reality.”

If she is then so am I. When did parents start allowing their teenagers to have multi-gender sleepovers? To me that is just asking for lots of trouble. But then as the columnist pointed out maybe the daughter was just using the line to get what she wanted. I am sure that there are a few parents who allow boys to sleep over at their daughter’s homes, but hopefully for the most part parents say “No!”

When we used to try to convince my parents to allow us to do something by using the line, “But everybody is doing it.” My dad would invariably reply, “If everyone jumped off a cliff would you.” Thus ending the conversation.

One way to check if parents really are allowing their children to do certain things is to ask. Call some of the parents of your child’s friends and ask them their opinion on the subject. Chances are if you say to your daughter, “Okay tell me the names of these parents so I can give them a call and they can explain why they allow boys to sleep over with their daughters, because I just don’t understand it.” She will back off and admit not everyone is doing it.

If some parents are allowing things it does not mean you are obligated to let your child do anything you are not comfortable with. Every family has different values and a parent has a right to stick to those values irregardless of what anyone else is doing.

About Teresa McEntire

Teresa McEntire grew up in Utah the oldest of four children. She currently lives in Kuna, Idaho, near Boise. She and her husband Gene have been married for almost ten years. She has three children Tyler, age six, Alysta, four, and Kelsey, two. She is a stay-at-home mom who loves to scrapbook, read, and of course write. Spending time with her family, including extended family, is a priority. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and currently works with the young women.
Teresa has a degree in Elementary Education from Utah State University and taught 6th grade before her son was born. She also ran an own in-home daycare for three years. She currently writes educational materials as well as blogs for Families.com.
Although her formal education consisted of a variety of child development classes she has found that nothing teaches you better than the real thing. She is constantly learning as her children grow and enjoys sharing that knowledge with her readers.